BJP's Nupur Sharma to take on Kejriwal; Bedi, Tirath in list of 62

Updated: Tuesday, January 20, 2015, 8:02 [IST]

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New Delhi, Jan 20: The BJP on Monday fielded a young party member Nupur Sharma to take on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi seat in Delhi assembly polls. The party's first list of 62 candidates included new entrants Kiran Bedi, Krishna Tirath and Vinod Kumar Binny.

The list includes former union minister and Congress leader Tirath from Patel Nagar. Tirath got the BJP ticket on the day she declared her association with the party, creating a record of sorts.

Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, a former IPS officer, has been fielded from Krishna Nagar, a "traditional" seat of the party. Bedi joined the BJP on Jan 15.

Binny, a former AAP MLA, will contest from Patparganj. He joined the BJP on Sunday.

Briefing reporters after the meeting of party's central election committee and parliamentary board, BJP leader and union minister J.P. Nadda said that party's Delhi unit chief Satish Upadhyay will not contest the polls.

"He has a huge responsibility. He will not be fighting the election," Nadda said.

Those fielded by the BJP also included Vijendra Gupta from Rohini, Jagdish Mukhi from Janakpuri, Karan Singh Tanwar from Delhi Cantonment and M.S. Dhir from Jangpura.

Dhir is a former speaker of Delhi assembly and had won the 2013 election as an AAP nominee.

Elections to 70-member Delhi assembly will be held Feb 7.

Nupur Sharma a former Delhi University Students Union president. She was associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP. Her name was being considered by the party against Kejriwal even in 2013 elections.

The Congress has fielded former Delhi minister Kiran Walia from New Delhi.